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Piedras Negras, Guatemala expedition records

1105

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held
at the University of Pennsylvania. Unless
otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our
reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Piedras Negras is a Maya site in Guatemala particularly noted for the beautifully sculpted stelae and hieroglyphic inscriptions
it has yielded. Between 1931 and 1939 the University of Pennsylvania Museum conducted extensive excavations at this site.
John Allen Mason led the first two seasons of work at the site (1931–1932), and Linton Satterthwaite directed the remaining
six seasons (1933–1939, excluding 1938). Most of the monuments at the Museum borrowed from Guatemala were returned in 1947;
only Stela 14 and one leg from Altar 4 remain on display in the Museum today. The textual records from the excavations of
Piedras Negras consist of 11 linear feet of correspondence, financial records, field notes and diaries, catalogs, and reports
and publication materials. The arrangement of the records reflects the original order insofar as could be detected, and portions
that had been separated over time were re-integrated into this scheme.

Biography/History

Piedras Negras is a Maya site in Guatemala particularly noted for the beautifully sculpted stelae and hieroglyphic inscriptions
it has yielded. The site, located in the northwestern corner of the Department of Petén, Guatemala, along the Usumacinta River,
which forms in this area the border between Guatemala and Mexico, was discovered in 1894 by a Mexican lumber man, and brought
to the attention of Teobert Maler, a pioneer archaeologist and explorer of the Ancient Maya. Maler visited the site in 1895
and 1899 under the auspices of the Peabody Museum of Harvard University, but conducted no excavations. His work consisted
of disinterring and photographing the large carved stelae and other monuments. His report was published in 1901 as Volume
II, No. 1 of the Memoirs of the Peabody Museum of American Archaeology and Ethnology. Thereafter the site was visited several
times, beginning in 1921, by Sylvanus G. Morley for the purpose of recording glyphic inscriptions. Morley took many photographs
and notes and made many drawings of the glyphs. His assistant, Oliver Ricketson, made a map of the site, which was later superseded
by the map of University of Pennsylvania Museum.

Between 1931 and 1939 the University of Pennsylvania Museum conducted extensive excavations at this site. J. Alden Mason,
Curator of the American Section, went to Guatemala in 1930 to select the site and obtain an excavation permit that would allow
for the removal on loan to the Museum of half of the monumental sculpture uncovered by the expedition. Mason's visit also
served to make renewed arrangements with Robert J. Burkitt, who was also excavating in Guatemala for the Museum at this time
(see separate Record Group). Mason made some artifact collections on this trip, which are documented in the records. In December
of the same year Mason visited the site again as a member of the Museum's aerial survey of Petén and Yucatan.

The site was selected because of its fine sculpture, its early origin, and the fact that little work had been done in that
area of the Maya world up to that time. It was also relatively more accessible than many other Maya cities. Mason led the
first two seasons of work at the site (1931–1932), and returned again in 1936 to inspect the progress of excavations. Funding
for the first three seasons was provided by Eldridge R. Johnson, founder and former President of the Victor Talking Machine
Company of Camden, NJ. Linton Satterthwaite was Assistant Director under Mason, and directed the remaining six seasons (1933–1939,
excluding 1938). The seasons ran generally from February to May, but sometimes began or ended late, that is in March and June.

The work of the first two seasons concentrated heavily on building a road to the site through the jungle and the removal of
a number of monumental stone stelae and other sculpture, half of which were sent to Guatemala City and the other half to the
University of Pennsylvania Museum. Included among these was Lintel 3, dated ca. 750 AD, still considered to be among the most
beautiful specimens of Maya sculpture, and Stela 14 (on display in the Museum's Mesoamerican Gallery), credited with giving
Tatiana Proskouriakoff the inspiration for her decipherment of Maya hieroglyphics. The second season produced a new map of
the site, but also saw part of the camp catch on fire, resulting in the loss of part of the photographic record.

Under Satterthwaite's direction, the focus of the excavations shifted from the more glamorous task of bringing carved monuments
to the exhibition galleries of the Museum to purely archaeological questions, such as uncovering architectural remains, establishing
building sequences, and stratigraphy. Satterthwaite concentrated heavily on the architecture of the city, excavating a total
of eleven temples and seventeen palaces, as well as two ball courts and a number of sweathouses. As a result the collecting
of artifacts became less important in the later seasons. In 1934 and 1935 Satterthwaite visited the nearby site of Yaxchilán
and in 1936 the site of Palenque, to obtain architectural data and measurements for comparative purposes. Some of the records
for these trips can be found among the Piedras Negras record group, but most of them have been transferred to a separate group,
Linton Satterthwaite— Various Sites (see separate listing).

The expedition staff changed almost every season, with the exception of Satterthwaite and his wife, who participated every
year, and were the only Museum personnel in 1934. T. Egan Wyer was the engineer for the first season, responsible for constructing
the road. Fred P. Parris, architect, took over for Wyer for the second and third seasons. He surveyed and mapped the site.
Mary Butler was responsible for artifact analysis, specifically pottery, and stratigraphy. She worked in 1932 and 1933. Tatiana
Proskouriakoff, an eminent figure in Maya archaeology, especially the study of Maya art, architecture, and epigraphy, began
her archaeological career on the Piedras Negras expedition during the seasons of 1936 and 1937. She later worked for the Carnegie
Institution in Washington, DC and Harvard University. Other members of the expedition included David W. Amram, Jr. (1932),
Francis M. Cresson, Jr. (1935–1937), William S., Jr. and Marian A. Godfrey (1939), and representatives of the Guatemalan Government.
Marian A. Godfrey (later Boyer) eventually became Secretary (1942–1949) and Acting Director (1945–1946) of the Museum.

Most of the monuments borrowed from Guatemala were returned to the country of origin in January, 1947, after an extension
to the original loan. Only Stela 14 and one leg from Altar 4 remain on display in the Museum's Mesoamerican Gallery today.

A number of publications have resulted from the findings at Piedras Negras, but Satterthwaite never finished all the reports
he intended to produce. Much material remains in this collection of use to the Maya scholar and student. See the attached
Appendix I for a complete list of Museum publications covering this site.

Scope and Contents

The textual records from the excavations of Piedras Negras consist of 11 linear feet of correspondence, financial records,
field notes and diaries, catalogs, and reports and publication materials. The arrangement of the records reflects the original
order insofar as could be detected, and portions that had been separated over time were re-integrated into this scheme. The
material has been divided into the following eight series: Correspondence, Financial Records, Field Notes, Object Catalogs,
Miscellaneous Notes – By Structure, Miscellaneous Notes – Alphabetical, Reports and Publications, and Photograph Catalogs
and Photographs.

The correspondence consists mainly of letters from J. Alden Mason and Linton Satterthwaite, as field directors, reporting
to Museum Director Horace H. F. Jayne on the progress of excavations, and letters to representatives of the Guatemalan and
Mexican Governments regarding the contract, export permits, and other logistics. A copy of the contract is included in this
series. The records from Mason's preliminary trip to Guatemala in 1930 were originally filed with the records of Robert Burkitt's
excavations (see separate finding aid), since Mason met with Burkitt on the trip. However, they are more relevant to the Piedras
Negras expedition and therefore have been moved here. The photocopies of letters of David Amram to his family were donated
in 1985 by Amram himself, and placed in this series. Many pages of correspondence from the 1932 season were partly burned.
These had to be photocopied onto acid-free paper for preservation purposes, and the originals were discarded.

The arrangement of the field notes was problematic, since Satterthwaite did not keep his notes in diaries by year, but had
divided them into notebooks by architectural structures and other subjects. Satterthwaite's numbering system for the notebooks
has been retained. J. Alden Mason's notes are arranged chronologically at the beginning of the series. Other notes by Satterthwaite,
Mary Butler, and Mrs. Satterthwaite have been arranged by staff member and thereunder chronologically, and placed after the
numbered notebooks. Surveyors' notebooks, containing mapping information and measurements, complete the series. Margaret Satterthwaite's
diary (1931) does not specifically discuss excavation operations, and is restricted due to its personal nature. Some of Mary
Butler's notebooks have been added to this series from a 1989 donation from her husband, Clifford Lewis III.

Notebooks discussing Satterhwaite's visits to other sites in the Maya area, originally filed in this record group, have been
moved to a separate group, Linton Satterthwaite— Various Sites. The notes contain material that has little bearing on the
Piedras Negras expedition, even though some trips to these sites were undertaken during Satterthwaite's seasons at Piedras
Negras, specifically to Yaxchilán and Palenque.

The two series of Miscellaneous Notes (By Structure and Alphabetical) were originally filed with Linton Satterthwaite's records
as Curator of the American Section. Their order was retained but they were moved to the Piedras Negras records. These series
consist of notes taken in the field or written up as part of the post-season analyses, and cover a variety of topics and subjects.
Included is also material used in preparation of publications. Complete reports and drafts of papers, however, are located
in the series Reports and Publications.

Photograph Catalogs and Photographs includes a complete set of field photographs pasted in albums. Additional sets of prints
can be found in Special Collections— Photographic Archives— Standard Size Prints. The remaining series are described below.
Oversize maps, plans, and drawings have yet to be described.

Administrative Information

Publication Information

University of Pennsylvania: Penn Museum Archives

Finding Aid Author

Finding aid prepared by Alessandro Pezzati

Use Restrictions

Although many items from the archives are in the public domain, copyright may be retained by the authors of items in these
papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law. The user is fully responsible for compliance with
relevant copyright law.

Related Archival Materials note

Scope and Contents note

Letters from the field directors (Mason, Satterthwaite) to Museum Director Horace H. F. Jayne reporting on the progress of
the expedition, and to representatives of the Guatemalan and Mexican Governments regarding project logistics. Also includes
contract with the Guatemalan Government and correspondence regarding the loan of artifacts to the Museum. Arranged chronologically.

Object Catalogs, 1930-1973.

Scope and Contents note

Catalogs of artifacts (in English and Spanish), packing lists, and notes on the division of collections between Guatemala
and the Museum. Also included are storage location lists for artifacts in the Museum and checklists by Museum and field number.
Arranged chronologically.

Reports and Publications, 1931-1973.

Scope and Contents note

Finished and/or published material on the site, including reports to the Director, press releases, drafts of excavation monographs,
and lecture material. Arranged by type and thereunder chronologically.

Photograph Catalogs and Photographs, 1931-1939.

Scope and Contents note

Catalogs of photographs taken in the field and photograph albums, arranged by field season. Additional sets of prints can
be found in the standard size print collection. Included is the index to photographs taken at Yaxchilán and Palenque, visited
by Satterthwaite during the seasons at Piedras Negras.

Box

Photo Catalog—Original Photo Record 1932-1935 (1 of 3).

19

Photo Catalog—Original Photo Record 1935-1936 (2 of 3).

19

Photo Catalog—Original Photo Record 1935-1937 (3 of 3).

19

Original Photo Record 1939.

19

Photo Catalogs 1931-1933 (1 of 3).

19

Photo Catalogs 1934-1936 (2 of 3).

19

Photo Catalogs 1937-1939 (3 of 3) [Not complete].

19

Photographic Data 1933.

19

Index of Photos 1937-1939.

20

Photographs of stelae.

19

Miscellaneous Notes – Alphabetical, 1931-1973.

Scope and Contents note

Notes taken in the field or written up during post-season analysis on a variety of topics and subjects. Much is preparation
material for publication. Arranged alphabetically by subject.